


there she goes, dressed up in daddy's clothes

by TheGodWith5Yen



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: American Sign Language, Brother-Sister Relationships, Cassandra Cain is Batman, F/F, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, or going to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 10:10:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16553819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGodWith5Yen/pseuds/TheGodWith5Yen
Summary: “Cassie.” Bruce said, his voice changed dramatically from when he spoke about young Dick, rough, though a degree smoother than his Batman voice, his eyes wide in a sort of awe.She raised her chin and eyebrows up in answer. “What?”“Would you like to become the next Batman?”Cass blinked surprisingly at her father, her mouth fell open, her fingers spasming before she once again signed- “What?”





	there she goes, dressed up in daddy's clothes

**Author's Note:**

> hi! I just kind of lost my spirit with this halfway through, but did my best so I hope you enjoy?? I really love Cass so wanted to try something!
> 
> Cass uses mostly ASL here, though sometimes she will speak, I tried to make It so you'd know when she used her voice, I hope it doesn't seem confusing. Also okay, its fine writing a character that uses asl when i'm learning the language rn because I can see the words and understand it and not just write things down like a dumbass and not be able to correctly describe an action to a sign. 
> 
> Anyways! Please read and enjoy!

The strong scent of a nameless Victoria’s Secret perfume lingered in the air when Cass stepped out of the shower, her skin an aching pink where she had scrubbed hard against it. The blood that had splattered on her suit hadn’t made way to her skin, but the sticky sensation she was much too familiar with felt like it had been on her skin, as though the blood had bypassed her suit entirely, impossibly leaked through. Cass knew that it wasn’t as how it felt- that was only her imagination- but that did not stop the persistent sensation. The perfume- it was Stephanie’s, she had a whole arsenal of them that she always kept around- made her nose itch, so she rubbed at it as she walked through to the main part of the cave.

Bruce was still in the cave, in front of the monitor, wearing a comfy, worn out pair of blue sweats and a knock off Batman t-shirt that Jason had gotten for him last Christmas. He glanced over when he heard Cass padding through the large room towards him. “Hey sweetie? You gonna stay down here?” 

“Yes.” Cass nodded her head tiredly, dropping her hand down in an exaggerated motion. She brought her hand back up to sign, “What you doing?”

Bruce scratched at his chin as he moved over in his seat, making room for Cass to sit with him- Cass loved to cuddle, especially with her father. He was always warm, and was somehow soft while being sturdy (Dick said that was because he was dad, a good dad, and Cass was inclined to believe him on that). Cass settled in his side, Bruce rubbed his large hand up and down her arm. “Just checking up on some things before heading in.” Cass gave a low hum in reply as he explained some Justice League cases to her, which later turned to stories about Superman and Hal Jordan, then to stories of Dick and Jason when they were young and first began their time as sidekicks. 

“Really?” Cass raised her eyebrows, little giggles escaping her lips, after Bruce finished telling her a particular story about Dick that had her itching to tease him with for days. She shook her head. It was easily to imagine her older brother as a young impressionable kid- the ones in the picture albums Alfred kept in their living room, the kid with sparkling eyes that looked at Bruce like he placed all the stars in the sky and then some- doing what Bruce just told her, a chuckle in his voice, his eyes far away. 

Suddenly, Bruce blinked at her, his weary blue eyes boring into her own. Cass tilted her head to the side, blinking back at him, her tongue slowly sticking out at him as she was unsure what got him in one of his momentary mental stops. 

“Cassie.” Bruce said, his voice changed dramatically from when he spoke about young Dick, rough, though a degree smoother than his Batman voice, his eyes wide in a sort of awe.

She raised her chin and eyebrows up in answer. “What?” 

“Would you like to become the next Batman?” 

Cass blinked surprisingly at her father, her mouth fell open, her fingers spasming before she once again signed- “What?”

Maybe it came in such a surprise, a shock, since Cass had never quite considered herself a candidate for Batman. It was something Dick had done (and claimed to have hated) for a while. It was the title that had Damian enthralled- he would speak to her in a low voice, baring his emotions in a way he felt uncomfortable with others, as they listened to the two approved playlists (one Cass’s, the other Damian’s of course) as they painted in a spare room in the mansion. Batman was what all her brothers- Duke the only exception, saying he may be a little nuts, but not completely- wanted in one way or another. They’ve fought about it, had long uncivil conversations that made Alfred threaten them with no dessert, but Cass had never thought she could have the opportunity. 

Batman- her. 

She admired him so much. Although she had not seriously considered being the Batman before, it was enticing, thrilling, something she knew the moment after it truly processed in her mind that she absolutely wanted. Everything she was doing, everything she had become, was because of that symbol, that mantle. Cass smiled at her father, knowing her own eyes must be shining with all the possibilities, even if anyone else would see this as a weight- a burden- this wasn’t for Cass. This was her growth. 

“I’d love that,” she whispered in a raspy, rarely used, voice, her smile turning into a grin as Bruce gave her a small smile of his own.

 

An energetic pop song played over the speakers, Stephanie mindlessly humming along, her head bobbing up and down, her blonde hair swishing in it’s tight ponytail, as she pulled Cass along through the cluster of racks full of colorful clothing. Feeling stuck in the moment, and still a bit on a high on last night- earlier in the morning was actually correct- when Bruce asked her to become his predecessor, Cass reached over with her free right hand, pulling at one of Steph’s curls. Her girlfriend turned her head a bit, rolling her eyes at her. 

“What’s that for?” Steph stuck her tongue out at her, before turning her head back around after stumbling over her own two feet, the pink stud in her nose sparkling from the fluorescent light as she did so. Cass giggled, leaning closer to Steph. She smelled like that nameless Victoria’s Secret perfume. Maybe it was vanilla? It was much too vague and perfume-y to properly place unless she saw the bottle.

Cass tapped her girlfriend’s hand. Steph turned and raised free arm to ask “what” her eyebrows raised, that cute little crease on her forehead. Cass leaned forward to peck a small kiss to the tip of her nose before pulling away and whispering, “I love you.” 

Stephanie immediately brought both her hands up to squish Cass’s cheeks. Her face was split in a grin- her bright white teeth on full display, as well as that cute little gap between her two front teeth and the chip on the right of the two. It was something they threw around playfully all the time, something they knew they felt, but maybe it was the intimacy, the use of her voice which she so rarely utilized, that made Steph’s pretty brown eyes shine. She kissed Cass’s lips. “I love you too you big ol’ lesbian. Now, stop being all cute and happy and distracting, we are shopping!” 

They continued on their way, pulling out colorful dresses and rompers to try on. Every time they passed a mirror, they posed for a picture, smiling at each other with nothing other than pure affection. After they bought some clothes, they went out front of the shopping mall to wait for the bus. It didn’t go near the manor, since it was out of the way, but it did go over near Wayne Enterprises. Bruce never minded when they came for a visit, though Alfred might give them a few words about how he didn’t mind driving across the city when he found out later in the day.

The bench was painted a dark blue, though much of it was chipped off with time and bored fingers- like Steph, who immediately went to peel at the pant when they sat down, ignoring the look Cass leveled her way. The slight wind caused Cass’s hair to blow into her face, making her groan before searching her purse for some hair clips. She swiped aside her wallet, packs of gum, and a tube of root beer flavored lip gloss before she found the cute little pink butterfly clips in the very corner of the bag. 

“Oof, you’re so damn cute, stop smiling at me like that! My heart won’t be able to take it!” Stephanie dropped her head onto Cass’s shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to her chin. Her lips were a little sticky with her lip gloss, but Cass noted that she didn’t quite care. She brought her own head down onto Steph, the two of them giggling, cuddling, keeping in their own warm bubble as they waited for the bus to arrive.

Cars with scratched paint and screaming music drove past, people walked along, trash and fallen leaves pushed along with the wind. Soon, the bus came along the street and stopped, everyone waiting to go on forming a line as others quickly exited the bus. The bus driver, a nice older woman named Faustina who wore bright pink lipstick, gave her and Steph a smile when they stepped on. 

“Going to see your papa, Cassie sweetie?” Faustina said as Cass shoved her dollar into the box. She always called her a variation of ‘sweetheart.’ One time, she had ran into her in a Costco while eating samples with Damian and Dick and she had been just as wonderful as she always was. When Cass nodded and signed yes, Faustina answered with “We should get there pretty quickly then.”

Stephanie sat in her usual seat, up front so she could make conversation with Faustina, translating whenever Cass decided to add to the exchange. The radio played upbeat songs in Spanish, Cass nodding her head along to the beat made by the accordion. 

 

“You’ve been insanely happy lately.” Stephanie said as she leaned against the elevator wall in WE, holding both of Cass’s hands in hers, Cass leaning forward to give her an eskimo kiss. “And I love it. I thought you’d be more bummed out, ya know, considering what happened to that guy we were fighting.” She bit at her lip, refusing to look Cass in the eyes, instead focusing on their hands. 

“It was bad.” Cass whispered, shrugging her shoulders. “But I have to move… toward my future.” Like always, her words were a bit stilted, her voice a low rasp that she knew most people didn’t quite understand unless she worked on enunciating each word. But Stephanie wasn’t most people- she, like her family, knew exactly what she was saying. 

“Good.” Steph smiled. They detached from one another when the doors opened to the floor they set out to. 

 

While Alfred’s car smelled fresh, a little like lemons, Bruce’s was his hastily sprayed cologne. Although Stephanie complained about the smell- “It fucking smells like man in here ew.”- Cassandra liked it. It felt safe, warm- it smelled like her father, who she loved, who she knew would always keep her well. 

Bruce let Cass play her music as he drove, the three of them silent the whole ride home, soft voices coming from the radio. “Thank God you have a better taste in music then your brother.” Bruce smiled at her. The sun hit his face from just the right angle as he turned towards her, the short stubble on his face revealing tiny gray hairs mixed into the bunch. “With the exception of Jason- do not give me that look, he is your brother no matter how much you want to slam him headfirst in a fight.”

Cass only groaned and rolled her eyes, not wanting to go down that rabbit hole at the moment. Jason was alright as a person- but she couldn’t be fine with him when he could so easily kill people, say they deserved it, say it was the right thing to do. His morals were horribly skewed, and Cass couldn’t forgive him, be his sister, for that. Bruce, knowing her and her silence, just nodded his head, a thick lock of hair falling into his eyes, which stared ahead at the road. 

“You’ll make a perfect Batman.” He whispered, voice low so only Cass could hear. It made her grin widely, her hands coming up to grasp at her warm face. These moments were all she ever wanted. 

 

They set to work after a short patrol, leaving early since most of the others were out for the night, as well as Oracle keeping an eye out while the Birds of Prey were between missions. Bruce had a bad case of cowl head, causing Cass to tease him mercilessly, as though her own hair wasn’t a big mess as well. The two of them leaned over papers, Bruce drawing out his thoughts with Cass shaky handwriting noting things on the side, fueling themselves with gatorade and gum seeing as Alfred had tucked himself in for an early rest. 

Cass let Bruce play his nineties rock music to keep them up, her head and feet tapping along to the beat. 

“I was thinking we could do a little trial period.” Bruce muttered, setting aside the papers they were drawing designs on. “I’ve been thinking of retiring.”

“Old dad.” Cass gave him a teasing smile, leaning forward on the table as she signed. 

“Ha, yeah.” Her father rolled his eyes before continuing his train of thought. “Once everything is ready, I’ll be a more primary member of the Justice League while you set yourself up at the new Bat. How’s that sound?”

“Good!” Cass nodded her head in excitement. She wiggled her fingers and her grin grew. “When I’m Batman, you marry Selina, right?” 

The look Bruce gave her was priceless, as was the whole minute it took for him to find his voice and deny what she said, as though she could not see the slight blush on his face under the caves lighting.

 

The three of them moved around each other in practiced eased as they prepared a batches of cookies for the Gotham Academy bake sale. It was Alfred’s famous chocolate brownie cookies, which was always one of Cass’s bigger weaknesses. Alfred had let Damian put on the music, serene piano and string instruments filling their eyes and the room. Sunlight filtered in through the white curtains. 

Cass tapped her younger brothers shoulder as she slid past him. Her looked up at her with a question in his eyes as he gathered up some mix to put in the pan. She pointed at him and the herself, eyebrows raised. “Talk later.” Damian gave her a silent nod, turning back to the task at hand. 

 

Cass loved Damian. He was a little angry, couldn’t quite get his emotions and meanings across without offending someone in the process, his mind a little jumbled mess. Which Cass often related with, which was why she always stuck herself out there for him. They were so alike, in how they were raised, how they wanted to be better, how much they aspired to be the Batman. 

While Dick was the one to soften Damian up, Cass was the one who he would come to get out emotions with- a quick spar, an afternoon of painting or photography, small talks as they cuddled one of Damian’s many pets. She was his big sister. All she wanted was for him to be happy. 

And she hated how unsure she was that her becoming Batman would make him feel. 

 

Titus lay on top of Damian’s feet as he worked on the piece he’s had in progress for the past week. Cass leaned back in the chair next to him, casually petting Titus with her bare foot as she tried to think of how to tell her little brother she was most likely going to take up the mantle he so badly wanted. 

Damian turned to her. “So what is it?” 

Cass held up her hands, bit her lip, and sighed. “Dami- dad offered to let me be Batman. I know this is your dream, but Batman is mine too.” She stared at him as he tilted his head, her lips beginning to tremble the longer he stayed quiet. 

“Good. You deserve it. You are the only other person who can give the title of Batman justice.” Damian gave her a smile, teeth and dimples showing. “Does that mean I’m your Robin now?” He looked back at his painting, at the dark shadows with the plain white middle. “Did- did you think I’d be mad at you?” His eyes were sad. 

With a loud sigh, Cass climbed out of her chair to crouch next to her brother. She pressed a kiss to his warm cheek and rubbed her hand on his back. She spoke, “Dami… I didn’t know how to… I mean- I-” She gave a frustrated groan and let her forehead fall to his shoulder. “When a Batman comes from the future or another di-dimension. It’s always you Damian. I didn’t think- I didn’t think I could ever… or…” 

A hand laid on top of her head. “Those timelines were cursed and won’t happen. Perhaps, one day I will also become Batman, or maybe I will wait for the mantle. I- I don’t know Cassandra. I am not mad that father is letting you be Batman. You’ve worked hard and, well… do not tell any of the others I said this!” Cass crossed her heart although he hadn’t looked to see and she didn’t move from his shoulder. “I may be a- a little too young to be Batman.” 

The admission caused Cass to grin widely at him. 

 

“It’s in.” Bruce whispered to her as she tiredly limped into the kitchen, a box of Lucky Charms in her hands, her mind still halfway asleep. She blinked at him, the words processing before it clicked, Cass hopping over to her father to wrap her arms around his neck as she shook her hands in celebration. She locked eyes with Damian, who gave her a small smile as he ate. 

“We going to patrol tonight Batman?” He asked, almost as though he was bored. 

Cass glanced down at Bruce, who gave her his own questioning look. She breathed in, breathed out. This was happening. This was finally happening. She was going to put on that cowl, she was going to become more than she ever dreamed when she was young. “Yes.”

 

The wind blew, causing their capes to flow with it, Cassandra- Batman- leaned forward as she crouched, watching the city below her. Her gloved fingers grasped at the hard stone below her, barely containing herself from petting the gargoyles little pointed head. She glanced back at Robin, who stood in his little heeled boots, his hood up, arms crossed. 

“Look like trouble?” He asked, staring down at the men, dressed in a suspicious green and purple, as they stumbled around.

“Yes.” She nodded as she placed her hand back down onto the stone. She stood up, raised her hands, and asked, “Ready?” Her Robin gave a curt nod. “You first, bird.” 

Damian smirked as he grabbed his grappling hook. “Of course Batman.” 

As her brother went to start the fight, Cassandra, Batman, stayed above in wait. The moment would come, her time would come. For the seconds between him jumping and her joining in, she relished in the moment- the wind she couldn’t quite feel due to the warm layers and her covered face, but made her cape move and make a slight sound, the sight of the city, so bright despite its tired, shivered parts, the concentrated smell of wet concrete after a long day of sprinkling rain. She grinned under her mask. This was her city- this was her fight. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> really hope this was good! Please leave a comment or a kudos <3
> 
> oh yeah, forgot to mention earlier! The song title is from "Butch" by Saint Motel! Not as wlw of a song as it should be considering the name but I still enjoy it


End file.
